Options mulled for funding after-school recreation program

PTSAs, principals map course after RecExtra program cut in more affluent areas

With the school year getting into full swing, some schools are anticipating an added financial pinch this year after funding for the RecExtra program was cut at 13 of the county's 38 middle schools.

The program, which is funded through the county's recreation department, pays for activities that supplement after-school programs at middle schools, with little or no cost to parents. Middle schools in more affluent portions of the county were disproportionately affected by the cuts, recreation department officials have said.

The funds — about $12,000 per school — help to field costs of activities ranging from cartooning to guitar to babysitting classes. They can also provide a stipend for a school employee to act as an after-school activities coordinator, interfacing with outside vendors, taking attendance and making sure each student is accounted for.

The funding cut came with the May County Council vote on the county's budget, though the recreation department chose which schools would lose the program, according to Melanie Coffin, manager of Montgomery County recreation department.

"It was a really difficult decision," Coffin said in July. Ultimately, it was based on whether the schools already had a lot of after school activities outside of the RecExtra programs, and the number of students enrolled in free and reduced-priced meals programs. "It did disproportionately hit the western part of the county, which tends to be more affluent," Coffin said.

At many of the affected schools, principals and PTSAs have begun to map out plans for dealing with the loss. Some will provide only programs funded directly through the school and taught by school staff. Others will continue on with supplemental programs like the ones offered through RecExtra with private vendors — and ask parents to pay.

Cabin John Middle School will contract with a private company called Enrichment Centers, Inc. that will offer after school activities like chess, fashion design, and babysitting, said Roz Renberg, who chairs the after-school activities committee for the Cabin John PTSA. The classes will cost about $120-$150 per each eight-week session, and will launch in mid-October. The school will continue to offer its own programs, including the math club and the science club, free of charge.

Renberg hopes to pitch the supplemental after-school activities to parents at Back to School night Thursday, and she's unsure of what the response will be.

"It's not unreasonable for taking a private class, but we don't know if people who are used to getting it for free are going to want to pay," Renberg said. "We won't have any idea until after our Back to School night whether people are going to sign up."

Classes will be canceled if there aren't enough students who participate, Renberg said.

The Cabin John PTSA also hopes to provide scholarships for students who want to participate in the supplemental activities but can't afford to, said treasurer Greg Barr. "In those cases, the PTSA tries to make funds available, but because we are facing less membership and less contributions, that becomes problematic as well," Barr said.

At Tilden Middle School, the RecExtra program won't continue without the funds, said Principal Jennifer Baker. All of the activities offered this year — including knitting, ping pong and drama — will be funded through the school, outside of a YMCA tennis class that students can take for a fee.